The first anniversary of the South West Woodland War Memorial took place on Friday 20th May 2010, at the Memorial Woodlands cemetery, Thornbury. The war memorial commemorates the servicemen and women from across the South West who have lost their lives in the service of their country since the turn of the millennium.

The ceremony was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Dame Janet Trotter and representatives from across the Services including Member of Parliament, Steve Webb, as well as a number of invited guests from the region. The service was led by Lt Col Father Andrew Lloyd, DACG 43 Wessex Brigade, in the onsite chapel, before a procession to the memorial site where the Lord Lieutenant laid a wreath alongside representatives from the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Marines. A Bugler from 1 Rifles closed the service with the traditional playing of the Last Post.

The woodland war memorial is made up of a circle of oak trees, in keeping with its woodland location. Still saplings one year on, the trees will grow and intertwine overtime, creating a lasting legacy for hundreds of years to come.

Founder of Memorial Woodlands Christopher Baker explained,

“We inaugurated the war memorial last year to provide a place for people of the South West to come to pay respect to the servicemen and women that have lost their lives. We are honoured at the overwhelming response it has received and it was decided that we would hold an annual Service of Remembrance to provide a poignant occasion to honour those who have sacrificed their lives fighting for our country in Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts around the globe over the past decade.